Think Pawsitive Instructors

All instructors at Think Pawsitive have a strong passion for dogs and for teaching students to problem solve while shaping their dogs to perform specific behaviors. Allowing the dogs to “Learn to Earn” is our overriding philosophy and the lifestyle we maintain with our own dogs. First and foremost in our training is teaching students how to develop and maintain a strong relationship with their dog. All other skills are much easier to train once your dog has learned to love to work with you.

Our training is positive and reward based. We practice what we preach and will use our own dogs to demonstrate and clarify the mechanics of the techniques we are teaching. The finished product is nice to see, but doesn’t always help a student learn how to get there. Thus, we will frequently use our students’ dogs to demonstrate how to approach a new training task from the start and how we deal with dogs that may appear to be stuck. Students are given frequent opportunities to practice skills during class and receive constructive feedback from the instructors. Most of our students will find that their dogs are amazingly clever and can figure out just about anything we properly reinforce and give them the opportunity to think about. We strive to provide a supportive atmosphere in which all students (both human and canine) can grow to their maximum potential.

Our instructors are all lifetime learners that continue to educate themselves in animal behavior, learning theory and training techniques. We each compete in various canine competitive sports or therapy work and enjoy a mutually enriching recreational life with our dogs.

Matt’s love of dogs goes back as far as he can remember. Growing up without a dog of his own only increased his interest, so in high school he got a job working at a veterinary clinic. After caring for and handling so many different animals there, Matt knew for sure that dogs would always [Continue Reading…]

Angie has been involved in dog training since 1991 when she got her first Bernese Mountain Dog puppy. She began training and competing in competition obedience and conformation. She added training and competing in agility when AKC added agility to their list of performance events. Over the years, other competitors would often ask her how [Continue Reading…]

Fred always liked dogs as a child but did not get his own dog until he was an adult. His first dog was named Caramel and was a rather calm golden retriever. When Caramel passed away, he got another golden puppy named Lazer, who changed his life forever. Lazer was not your average “Air Bud” [Continue Reading…]

Amy’s life with dogs started in her youth when she begged her mom to let her have a little Australian Terrier that some friends could no longer keep, and Amy won! Dogs have been part of her life ever since. She competed in obedience with one of her first dogs she had as an adult [Continue Reading…]

Sarah has been involved in dog training and agility since 2008. She enjoys continuing her education in the sport of agility through workshops and classes with Greg and Laura Derrett, Susan Salo and Anthony Clarke. She also learns from a variety of other top competitors and experts inside and outside of agility. As a child, [Continue Reading…]

Katie Oilschlager is the owner of Think Pawsitive Dog Training LLC, Wisconsin’s largest canine training facility. She is an ongoing student Greg and Laura Derrett (www.gtagilty.com), Susan Salo (www.jumpdogs.com), Anthony Clarke and Bob Bailey. She serves an evaluator for AKC-CGC and as an agility judge for USDAA, UKI and TDAA. Katie has developed three dog therapy [Continue Reading…]

Joan Zelinger teaches Agility Foundations, 2×2 Weave Poles, Foundation Jump Grids, Putting It All Together and Competition Handling classes and assists with presenting seminars and workshops. She also helps Katie with writing and editing Think Pawsitive’s curriculum. Joan applies her expertise as a retired high school teacher to her instruction at Think Pawsitive. Her ability to clearly explain [Continue Reading…]

Mary Ellis-Stigler teaches Rally Obedience, Canine Good Citizen and Adult Manners classes. She applies her expertise as a retired schoolteacher to her instruction at Think Pawsitive. Mary has had a passion for dogs for as long as she can remember and as time has passed, they have become her heart. Mary and her husband Tim [Continue Reading…]